Wire drawing apparatus



R. w. PURSEL WIRE DRAWING APPARATUS July 27, 1943.

Filed Aug. 27, 1941 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

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July 27, 1943. R. w. PURSEL WIRE DRAWING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 27, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. bwsEn/r. 34 1a JWF/VZ 4V July 27, 1943, R. w. PURSEL WIRE DRAWING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Aug. 27, 1941 INVENTOR. 79?):3511/14 r verse.

d770K/VEX Patented July 27, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2.325.342 wins naawme mana'rus Russell w. Pursel, Indianapolis, Ind. Application August 27, 1941, Serial No. 408,532

2 Claims. (01. 205-16) With my improved process grain structures in the metal of austenite, martensite, troostite, either primary or secondary sorbite and pearlite may be obtained or any combination of these grain structures may be obtained.

A further object of this invention is to provide a process of heat treatment of wire which will reduce production costs, increase production, give better metallurgical control, produce a better product and eliminate hazards.

' Yet another object of this invention is to provide a compact. and durable apparatus of the character described, which shall be relatively inexpensive to use, and which shall yet be practical and emcient to a high degree in use.

Other objects of this invention will in part be obvious and in part hereinafter pointed out.

The invention accordingly consists in the combination of steps, features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the method and construction hereinafter described, andot which the scope of application will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying (drawings in which is shown one of the various pbssible illustrative embodiments of this invention,

Fig. l is a side elevational view of apparatus embog the invention, with parts in crosssection;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fi i;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 23-3 of Fig. i;

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on line of Fi l; 1

Fig. 5 is an enlarged, longitudinal, cross-sec-= tiona-l view of the quenching chamber;

file. d is a front end view taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. i is a cross-sectional view taken on il--'l of Fig. 5;

Fig. 8 is an elevational, the wire heating chamber, construction;

Fig. ii is a cross-sectional view i-t oi t;

line

cross-sectional view of illustrating a modified taken on line Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view similar to Fig. l

8, and illustratins struction: and

Fig. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken on line ll-i I of Fig. 10.

It is well known that in a drawing of wire, it is sometimes necessary to stop drawing or reducing the wire due to the fact that the wire becomes hardened caused by the diameter reduction as the whale pulled through the die, at which time the wire often becomes hard and brittle and must be annealed and the stresses therein relieved so that the grains are recrystallized. such an operation is sometimes very cost- 1y as thewire has to be bound in bundles, taken to the annealing furnace, annealed, descaled and returned to the drawing mill. Such operation often causes delay of from 24 to 48 hours, or even longer. As will appear hereinafter, wire processed under my improved apparatus, eliminates such expensive delay in the manufacture of wire.

In accordance with the present invention, the wire passes from the drawing die directly through my improved annealing furnace, thus making for a line production process.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, i0 designates apparatus embodying the invention. The same comprises a wire drawing die ii of usual construction, through which the wire W passes.- As the wire comes through the die, it passes around a cylinder or wheel I several times. The wheel may be rotated, thus furnishing motive power for the wire. The wire then passes through a heat shield 13 made from refractory material. Said heat shield It comprises a horizontal, cylindrical portion ll, open at its rear end it. At the forward end of cylindrical portion I4 is an upwardly inclined wall it formed with a through opening i'i, through, which the wire W passes into the shield. A sleeve i8 may be inserted in inc ed wall. it, at the through opening ii, to receive the wire. It will be noted that the shield it is open at the top iorward still another modified conhereinafter appearing. a

The wire passes through member it into a I heat chamber 23. Said heat chamber 23 comprises a cylindrical well it formed with a rear wall til, having a central opening it. At the front end of member 23 is a conical wall 2i projectinginto the cylindrical portion it of memher it. Attached to the top oi member 23 is a pipe 2t.

Passing through the opening 28 is a horizontal pipe 3t receiving the wire W. Any suitable heating medium may be used in'the furnace or heat ing chamber 28. Hot gases may be supplied to said chamber through pipe 28. Hot gas may pass through the w s ill at the a es or the coal wall 21, thus passing into member 23 and escaping through the opening l9.

The furnace 23 may be heated by solid fuels and air, oxygen, or gas, or a mixture of the same may be fed to the furnace through the pipe 28.

The pipe which serves as a guide for the wire is fixed to one end of a tank 40. Tank comprises a horizontal axial inner chamber 4! to which the pipe 30 is fixed. Surrounding the inner chamber 40 is an outer jacket 42 forming a chamber 43 surrounding the inner chamber 4|. The pipe 30 is constricted at one end, as at 30c and the constricted opening 30;: commmunicates with the interior of the inner chamber 4 I. At the opposite end of chamber 45 is an axial through opening 45. The wire W passes into chamber 4| through pipe 30 and opening 30a and out of said chamber through the opening 45.

Within the bottom of chamber 4! are a plurality of aligned rollers 41 serving as guides for the wires W. The chamber M has a common inlet and outlet pipe 50. The outer jacket 42 has an inlet pipe 5! at the top thereof, and adjacent one end thereof, and an outlet pipe 52 at the bottom thereof and adjacent the opposite end thereof. The inner chamber 4| is a quenching chamber, and chamber 43 is for the purpose of cooling the quenching chamber and maintaining the same at a substantially constant temperature.

.The quenching medium within the chamber 4| may be gas, liquid or solid. Once the quenching material is put into chamber 4!, pipe may be closed. The cooling medium in chamber 43, however, is continuously circulated therethrough, thus keeping the quenching medium in chamber 4| at a desired temperature. The wire W may pass from the quenching chamber throughthe drawing dies,-if desired.

If the quenching apparatus is set at the end of the drawing operation, the wire can be annealed or tempered or heat treated, as necessary, and the wire will then be ready for shipment or made into products.

The wire is bright annealed at the end of the drawing operation and also would be in condition for galvanizing.

It will now be understod that the process described above eliminates batch heat treating of wire in the furnace. The desired treatment of the wire may be accomplished by regulating the temperature of the furnace 23, the speed of passage of the wire therethrough, and through the quenching apparatus and by also controlling the temperature in the quenching chamber.

After the Wire W passes out of the quenching chamber, it may pass over a wheel 55 and then to additional drawing dies if desired.

In Figs. 8 and 9 there is shown a furnace 23a which may be substituted for the furnace 23. In the furnace 23a, heating is accomplished by the use of a number of jets 10 conically arranged within the chamber around the horizontal axis of the chamber, so that the flame from the jets impinges upon the wire. Gaseous fuel may be fed to the furnace by means of a pipe II, and air may be fed to said furnace by pipe 12. The interior of the furnace is preferably lined with refractory material, as indicated at I5 and 16.

The furnace 2311 may also be heated by burning hydrogen, hydrocarbon or petroleum.

In Figs. 10 and 11, there is shown a furnace 23?) which may be substituted for the furnace 23. The furnace 23b is electrically heated by a heating coil 80, so that the wire is heated as it passes through the coil. Any suitable well known control may be employed for controlling the temperature within the furnace 23b.

It will thus be seen that there is provided a device and method in which the several objects of this invention are achieved, and which is well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention, and as various changes might be made in the embodiments above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. Apparatus of the character described comprising a wire drawing die, a rotary wheel about which wire passing through the die may be Wound, a shield through which the wire which passes around the-wheel may pass, said shield being tubular and open at one end, and having an inclined wall at the other end, said inclined wall having an opening through which said wire passes, the top of said shield having an opening adjacent said inclined wall, a furnace provided with means to permit the wire to pass therethrough, and having a conical portion at one end projecting into the first mentioned end of said shield without closing said end of said shield, said furnace having an end wall at its opposite end formed with an opening, a pipe projecting into said opening in said end wall of said furnace and closing said opening, and said pipe having a through opening through which the wire passes, a quenching chamber at one end of the pipe, said wire being adapted to pass through the pipe and through the quenching chamber, said quenching chamber having means to permit the wire to pass out of the quenching chamber, ]and a jacket surrounding said quenching cham- 2. Apparatus of the character described comprising a wire drawing die, a rotary wheel about which Wire passing through the die may be wound, a shield through which the wire which passes around the wheel may pass, said shield being tubular and open at one end, and having an inclined wall at the other end, said inclined wall having an opening through which said wire passes, the top of said shield having an opening adjacent said inclined wall, a furnace provided with means to permit the wire to pass therethrough, and having a conical portion at one end projecting into the first mentioned end of said shield without closing said end of said shield, said furnace having an end wall at its opposite end formed with an opening. a pipe projecting into said opening in said end wall of said furnace and closing said opening; and said pipe having a through opening through which the wire passes, a quenching chamber at one end of the pipe, said wire being -adapted to pass through the pipe and through the quenching chamber, said quenching chamber having means to permit the wire to pass out of the quenching chamber, a jacket surrounding said quenching chamber, and rollers in said quenching chamber supporting the wire passing through said chamber.

RUSSELL W. PURSEL. 

